Building an Academic Poster in PowerPoint

A poster is not just a written report on a big page — it’s a visual summary that:

• Communicates key information clearly and quickly.
• Uses images, charts, and headings to help viewers understand your work.
• Shows professionalism in academic or public settings — whether coursework, research projects, or conferences.

Poor posters are hard to read, cluttered, or confusing — which can lead to lower marks or missed messages.

• Not setting the poster size at the start. Starting on the wrong slide size can ruin the layout later. Changing size at the end often distorts text and images.
• Fonts that are too small. Text needs to be readable from a distance. Many students mistakenly use slide-sized fonts (24pt or smaller), which are far too small for posters.
• Low-resolution images. Images copied from the web often look fine on screen but print blurry or pixelated on a poster.
• Crowded or cluttered layout. Filling every inch of the poster with text or images makes it hard to read and overwhelming to look at.
• Poor alignment. Misaligned text boxes, images, or columns make the poster look messy and unprofessional.
• Weak colour contrast. Pale text on a pale background — or bright colours that clash — makes content hard to read and harms accessibility.
• Too much text. Posters should not look like essays. Dense blocks of text are hard to scan and discourage engagement.
• Forgetting a final print check. Mistakes often appear when exporting to PDF or viewing the poster at full size. Blurry images, missing margins, or layout shifts are common when this step is skipped.

• Set the page size first — use A0, A1, A2, or A3 depending on the requirement (Design → Slide Size → Custom Slide Size).
• Use large, readable fonts — minimum body text size is usually 24pt, headings 36pt or larger.
• Choose simple, readable fonts — e.g., Arial, Calibri, Verdana.
• Plan your layout — group related information, use clear headings, and follow a logical flow (top-to-bottom, left-to-right).
• Check image resolution — images should be at least 300 pixels per inch (ppi) for print. Online images often don’t meet this.
• Check copyright — use Creative Commons images, public domain sources, or your own graphics. Avoid unlicensed Google Images.
• Export to PDF for submission or printing (File → Save As → PDF).

• Change slide size (for posters)
• Add, resize, and format text boxes
• Insert a picture in PowerPoint
• Align or arrange objects
• Use guides and gridlines for neat layouts
• Save a PowerPoint as PDF
• Microsoft poster templates
• Finding and Using Images (Library Services guide) 

• Set the poster size before you start. Go to Design → Slide Size and choose a custom size (e.g. A1 or A0). This avoids problems with blurry images or stretched content later.
• Use a clean, consistent layout. Posters are usually designed in columns — for example, two or three columns depending on the size. Use guides or the grid to line things up neatly.
• Prioritise readability. Poster text needs to be much bigger than for slides:
  • Main title: 72pt–100pt
  • Headings: 36pt–60pt
  • Body text: 24pt–36pt
• Keep text minimal. Posters should summarise key points — not show full paragraphs. Use bullet points, short sentences, or key phrases.
• Make sure your images are copyright-cleared. Don’t copy images from Google. Use Creative Commons, government sources, or your own photos. See our guide Finding and Using Images for help finding copyright-safe images and checking licences. 
• Check image quality. Images must be high resolution (at least 300dpi). Low-quality images that look fine on screen will print blurry at poster size.
• Choose colours carefully. Make sure there is strong contrast between text and background. Avoid colour combinations that are hard to read (like red on blue).
• Align everything carefully. Use PowerPoint’s alignment tools (Arrange → Align) to keep text boxes, images, and sections tidy and balanced.
• Do a final print check. Zoom in to 100% or more on screen to check readability. Export to PDF to check that nothing shifts, blurs, or moves before submitting or printing.